Some prior art switches are used for switching a connection state of an electrically powered device which is operable in a first state during a normal working day and in a second state during the Sabbath. According to the Jewish religion, it is forbidden to initiate the flow of current within a circuit, such as by manually turning on a light or any electrical appliance, during the Jewish Sabbath or any other holy day (hereinafter the “Sabbath”). Various electrically powered devices such as elevators and electric urns are equipped with a circuit which, when set to the second state, enable operation during the Sabbath without violation of the religious restrictions, although in a different fashion than the operation during a working day.
Before the onset of the Sabbath, a time which generally changes each week due to a change in the position of the Earth relative to the sun, the connection state of these prior art switches have to be changed by a time consuming procedure often involving a change in wiring connections in order to enable the Sabbath compliant operation. Similarly, the connection state of these switches has to be returned to the original state upon conclusion of the Sabbath in order to enable normal operation during working days.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a time controlled switch that can be automatically and reliably reconfigured from a Sabbath state to a working day state, and vice versa.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.